emirates7 - Over the past two years, tennis has made its way into various aspects of daily life, from clothing brands like Skims and Miu Miu offering court-ready outfits to its presence on screen, such as Zendaya’s role as tennis prodigy-turned-coach Tashi Duncan in *Challengers*. Now, tennis is set to make its mark on home décor.

Belgian eco-designer Mathilde Wittock is at the forefront of this trend, crafting custom furniture from discarded tennis balls. Wittock’s sleek, modern chaise longues feature no cushions, relying instead on the support of 500 meticulously arranged tennis balls. Similarly, her benches, measuring one meter long, incorporate around 270 tennis balls, offering both a minimalist style and sturdy structure.

“Tennis balls go through about 24 production steps, taking roughly five days to make, yet their lifespan is so short,” Wittock explained to CNN. She was inspired by her own tennis background and her awareness of the waste generated by the sport.

Each year, about 300 million tennis balls are manufactured, with nearly all ending up in landfills, where they take over 400 years to break down. Major tournaments, like the US Open and Wimbledon, use tens of thousands of balls annually, with a ball’s lifespan averaging just nine games, depending on the level of play. Wittock notes that even when unopened, tennis balls lose their internal gas over time, eventually becoming unusable and contributing to waste.